Youngsters amongst 31 killed at church fair stampede in Nigeria

ABUJA, Nigeria -- A stampede Saturday at a church charity occasion in southern Nigeria left 31 individuals useless and 7 injured, police advised The Associated Press, a surprising growth at a program that aimed to offer hope to the needy. One witness said the dead included a pregnant girl and lots of youngsters.

The stampede on the event organized by the Kings Assembly Pentecostal church in Rivers state involved people who came to the church’s annual “Store for Free” charity program, according to Grace Iringe-Koko, a police spokeswoman.

Such occasions are common in Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, where more than 80 million people reside in poverty, in keeping with government statistics.

Saturday’s charity program was supposed to start at 9 a.m. however dozens arrived as early as 5 a.m. to secure their place in line, Iringe-Koko mentioned. By some means the locked gate was broken open, making a stampede, she mentioned.

Godwin Tepikor from Nigeria’s National Emergency Administration Agency stated first responders were able to evacuate the bodies of those trampled to demise and convey them to the morgue. Safety forces cordoned off the world.

Dozens of residents later thronged the scene, mourning the lifeless and providing any help they may to emergency staff. Medical doctors and emergency staff treated a number of the injured as they lay in the open area. Movies from the scene showed the clothes, footwear and other objects meant for the beneficiaries.

One witness who solely identified himself as Daniel stated "there were so many youngsters” among the many dead. Five of the useless children were from one mom, he informed the AP, including that a pregnant lady also lost her life.

Some church members had been attacked and injured by kinfolk of the victims after the stampede, in accordance with witness Christopher Eze. The church declined to touch upon the state of affairs.

The police spokeswoman stated the seven injured had been “responding to remedy."

The “Store for Free” event was suspended while authorities investigated how the stampede occurred.

Nigeria has seen similar stampedes previously.

Twenty-four people died at an overcrowded church gathering in the southeastern state of Anambra in 2013, whereas at least 16 people were killed in 2014 when a crowd received uncontrolled throughout a screening for government jobs in the nation's capital, Abuja.

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Associated Press journalist Hilary Uguru in Warri, Nigeria, contributed.